New company on board to plan new South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center

A new partner is now on board to help bring a new recreation center and swim complex to South Lake Tahoe, construction of which could start as early as 2018.

Voters in November approved a two percent Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) increase to fund the new project that benefits not only locals but tourists as well.

Chris Kastelic, Principal and Senior Vice President of Sink Combs Dethlefs, was at Tuesday's SLT City Council meeting as the council members voted to spend $1,817,413 on architectural and engineering services with his company. They will provide design and construction documents required for the replacement of the current recreation center and swim complex. The total cost of the project is estimated around $25 million.

Sink Combs Dethlefs has offices in Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles. They have also brought on Larry Young of Ward Young Architecture and Planning out of Truckee to be a local participant on their project team.

Architects Williams + Paddon of Roseville, Calif., were hired in July, 2015 to provide conceptual drawings and documents for the proposed replacement of the City's Recreation Center. They held public workshops and conducted polls to gather public comment. The plans and conceptual drawings are available to the new firm to use as they make their plans.

Williams + Paddon was one of five companies who applied with the City after Measure P passed to provide the next steps with architectural and engineering services. Out of that process, Sink Combs Dethlefs was chosen.

The Recreation Center project will create an indoor recreation and swim center on the current site and will include:

• Multi-court gymnasium
• Indoor Aquatic Center with separate lap and leisure pools
• Fitness Center
• Group Exercise Studio(s)
• Multi-purpose meeting rooms
• Multi-use classroom
• Boys and Girls club
• Administrative offices
• Locker Rooms
• Outdoor event patio

The building is approximately 75.000 gross square feet.

Kastelic said Sink Combs Dethlefs is a long time designer of sustainable buildings and the Recreation Center will be no different.

"It will be an environmentally sensitive building," he said with a goal of being at least gold LEED certified.

Kastelic told City Council they are taking what was done by Williams + Paddon and move it forward, and "present you the best recreation center."

"We are excited to work with you and your community," he told the City Council.

Jim Marino, the City's Assistant Director of Public Works, said there will be group made up of Parks & Recreation commissioners and City staff to work with the architects on a final plan. He said they should be able to go out for bid on the Recreation Center by 2018 and building could start that year.

The photo in the story is from a Parker, Colorado project Sink Combs Dethlefs designed.